Overweight dutch rabbit

Question
Hi, I have a dutch bunny who is about a year and a half old. he is weighing almost  pounds and i dont know what to do.  we give him exercise but he just wont move around! he will just sit there. and he finishes his food so fast,mixed alfalfa and other pellets, and his alfalfa grass.i give him a least one fresh fruit/ vegetable serving a day.  I feel bad putting him on a diet but what should i do? i also believe that he doesnt move around because he is so fat.  also he cant clean himself after using his litter box which leaves his bottom all soiled and it sticks to his fur. help!

Answer
My first suggestion is to switch him slowly to a grass based (timothy, orchard grass) type hay and pellets.  Alfalfa is very rich in calories etc and that much tends to make  bun over weight.  I would also cut the fruit/veggie treat down to about once a week or divide on daily portion into 7 so that you still feel your feeding him treats everyday but just not as much.  Also limit pellets to 2 feedings of about 1/3 of a cup a day. But allow him to have free choice on the grass hay.

I understand that the things you are doing for your rabbit are because you love him, but if he is not able to clean himself he really does need to loose some weight.  It will be tough to cut him down on treats etc. But finding a good grass based pellet and hay (timothy hay is good) will really make a difference.

As for exercise you can try taking him outside on a leash, rabbits love the outdoors and this will allow him to burn some calories and have a good time to. You can also try playing with him more getting down on the floor and really interacting with him. But rabbits are probably one of the hardest animals to get to exercise if they don't want to.

Good Luck
Amy